Germany rejects criticism it watered down language on gas at G7 summit

BERLIN (AP) — The German government is rejecting criticism that it pushed to weaken existing commitments for phasing out natural gas at a summit of leaders from the Group of Seven major industrialized democracies. Environmental campaigners slammed the leaders’ decision in Japan to back the construction of new infrastructure for liquefied natural gas, a planet-warming fossil fuel. Campaign group Greenpeace on Monday called the endorsement of new fossil gas infrastructure “a blunt denial of the climate emergency.” But a German government spokesperson said all G7 countries have now set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to ‘net zero’ by mid-century or sooner, adding that “in the past Germany has never said it completely rejects the exploitation of new gas fields.”